Beyond Fantasy
by th3j3st3rLIV3S
Summary: Summary: Revised AU FFX Xover. Death begets death. Lies begets lies. A never ending cycle that changes a boy into a man. Main Pairing NarutoRikku
1. Chapter 1

Beyond Fantasy

Chapter 00

* * *

_**Pitiful… **_

_Naruto plunged to the ground, his head nearly torn off by the force of the blow. He was unable to land correctly, due to his body being over taxed by using Kyuubi no Yoko chakra to a dangerous level. _

_**Inari must be laughing his head off. To have me sealed in such a weak creature is a never-ending torment. **_

_Sasuke flew downwards, his hands forming seals along the way._

_Chidori!_

_**HE is a more worthy vessel for Biju such as me. **_

_Naruto snarled. Fatigue was currently not in his mind at the moment. Survival was. _

_Just before Sasuke came close to him, Naruto stood up, caught him by the wrist and slammed him on the ground. Naruto winced. _

_That was not a good idea. _

_Paying little attention to the self inflicted third degree burn on his hand, Naruto jumped backwards and drew a several shuriken. _

… **_Hmm. Perhaps I'm mistaken. …Though it pains me to think this, but… he seems to be the perfect Jinchuriki for one such as me. True to his primal instincts, and has combat skills that... haha… no HUMAN in their right mind would have. … Almost similar to me… hmm … similar to me indeed. _**

_**Taju Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu!**_

_The entire canyon was covered with clones no more than a second later. _

_**Impressive… though my chakra was needed to perform such a feat! **_

_Nothing was clouding Naruto's mind at the moment. The only thing he can think of, however, was- **Survival- **and- **Hurt him**. The latter of the two was the top priority._

_**Shihohappo Shuriken!** Naruto's words was soon echoed by hundreds of clones, as the cavity of the canyon was swarming with shuriken. _

_Things didn't go as well as planned. Actually, there was **no** plan. _

_Throwing sharp objects in close spaces was bound to have some repercussions._

_Sasuke nimbly evaded shuriken after shuriken; his enormous wings, surprisingly, came out unscathed like the rest of him._

_Naruto wasn't as lucky or skillful. He reached towards his abdomen and grabbed a shuriken that was embedded there. If he had paid some attention to the wound before advancing towards Sasuke, he would have noticed that the wound was not healing like the rest of the wounds, but rather becoming larger, as well as emitting red chakra at a prodigious rate. _

_Clone after clone began to disappear, as well as the weapons that killed them. _

_Some were able to survive the ill-fated tactic, but only to disappear in a puff of smoke as Sasuke made his way towards Naruto. Anger was clearly expressed on his face. Not only did Naruto embarrass himself, but his opponent as well. Doing something that was clearly idiotic and totally **stupid** was a mockery to a warrior such as him. No… more like an insult to his entire clan. _

_**Naruto! **Sasuke readied himself for the second Chidori. _

_A small grin played across Naruto's face.He took a defensive stance. _

_**What is it, Sasuke-kun?** Naruto's voice was a crude imitation of Sakura's. _

_Sasuke's eyebrows twitched. He could feel his breathing becoming erratic with anger. _

_With no clear tactic in mind, he charged forward with his second Chidori at his side._

_In one fluid motion, Naruto performed the Konoha Senpu, which resulted in Sasuke being suspended several meters in the air. _

… **_Hmph! Remarkable. Using his enemy's anger against him- planning ahead- executing it without much trouble- and here I thought that he is an idiot. Hah… I guess miracles do happen!_**

_**Sasuke! You will pay! **Naruto seethed. He concentrated most of his chakra into his right hand. He clenched it, and raised it well behind his head. As Sasuke came down, his face was greeted with a chakra-enhanced punch, forcing him into the canyon behind him. **That was for making Sakura-chan cry… **Naruto mumbled. _

_Uwah! Sasuke peeled himself off the canyon wall, and began to sputter blood from his mouth while kneeling. He suddenly found himself being suspended once again- a monstrous force around his neck was the cause this time. Mercy… was all Sasuke was able to choke out. _

_Naruto scowled. _

_The damn bastardies traitor…! _

_He risked limb and sanity just to survive Sasuke's __sudden attack on his well being. Now, when he is about to receive his just dessert, he begs for mercy! _

_**Cry me a river, **was all Naruto said. He raised his fist again. _

_Sasuke closed his eyes, expecting to be punched again. When he was suddenly dropped on the ground however, he looked towards Naruto in astonishment. _

_What he expected to see wasn't taking place. _

_Instead of watching Naruto coolly walking away from him, beckoning him to follow, he saw Naruto gasping for air, while both his hands were on his abdomen. He seemed to be in deep pain. _

_Sasuke smirked. _

_Ku, ku, ku… The sound of him snickering was soon replaced by sounds of birds chirping. Ku, ku, ku, ku… Naruto, prepare to **die**! Sasuke began to run towards Naruto, who was kneeling on the ground, one hand clutching his throat, and the other on his stomach wound. _

_**Hmm… not even I would resort to such foul assaults on someone who is incapacitated… not by my paw at least. Rejoice, my vessel. Though I loathe you to a level beyond abhorrence, I choose to save you today.**_

_Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks, when Naruto began to glow an omnipotent aura. _

_Damn! Instead of cowering to safety, he chose to advance towards Naruto at an even faster speed. _

_**He is more worthy of my hatred at the moment! **_

_Just before Sasuke's Chidori even scathed Naruto's abdomen, the aura shrouding Naruto forced him back. The aura began to gather everywhere, and then compress. _

_Less than a second later, Naruto and the omnipotent aura disappear, leaving a wounded Sasuke lying on the ground, quivering. _

_**

* * *

**_

END

A/N- Many unforgettable and troublesome events has prevented me from updating for the past few weeks. To those who actually enjoy reading the stories I have written prior my deletion, I would like to apologize.


	2. Chapter 2

Beyond Fantasy

Chapter 00- Part II

-

"_How is he?"_

"_The traitor? He'll live."_

"_That's great news! No one was sure that he'll pull through. …You seem sad Tsunade-sama." _

"…"

"_Is it about the Uzumaki kid?"_

"_He has a name you **know**."_

_(… She's really pissed.)_

"_I apologize, my lord. Let me rephrase that. Are you sad because Naruto-kun was never found?" _

"…_Don't ask **stupid** questions." _

_(Gulp)_

"…_And don't say anything that you aren't sure of!" _

"…_Should I go prepare your daily sake?" _

"_What did I say about asking stupid questions!" _

"_Ma'am!" _

_(Idiot… thank kami she's gone…Naruto, where are you?)_

_-_

"_Hey Tsunade… aren't you drinking a bit too much?" Jiriya asked, feeling a bit tipsy._

"…_Shut up, you rotten old pervert," Tsunade replied. She looked at her sake. "…Times like this… there is never too much at times like this." _

_They sat quietly for a few minutes; both were reminiscing about the past. _

_Jiriya broke the silence. "…I was really surprised when I first saw him." Tsunade looked at her former teammate. Instantly, she knew who he was talking about. "He looked so much like his father." He slammed his fist, demanding more sake. "I was out there looking for him along with the team you sent. Damn bastards." He graciously accepted another tokkuri from the waitress. Jiriya took a long haul before continuing. "If they tried any harder, they might have broken a sweat." He looked at Tsunade. Her expression was beyond pissed. A demonic gleam sparkled in her eyes before Jiriya continued. "Naruto was no where to be found. No blood, no foot prints leading out of the valley, nothing. The most sensible explanation of what happened to him is that he drifted away in the river."_

"…_Really?" Tsunade took his tokkuri from him, despite his groveling and verbal resistance, and drank what's left. "According to the Uchiha, and I quote, "He disappeared in a flash of light."" She slammed her fist in a similar fashion Jiriya did earlier. "Can you actually believe that people are praising the Uchiha for making 'the demon' vanish?" The waitress misinterpreted Tsunade's action earlier and brought her a tokkuri, not that she was complaining. She drank the whole thing in one swig, and fell down backward. Jiriya reacted quickly and caught her before her head touched the floor. _

"_Thanks…" Her face was crestfallen. _

_Jiriya lifted her to her feet. "Come on… I'm gonna take you home, alright?" _

_Tsunade looked up, her lower lip was sticking out. "Promise not to take advantage of me?" When Jiriya nodded, she collapsed in his arms. _

_-_

"_I… am a disgrace sensei." Kakashi knelt down in front of the memorial. "…Because of me…" he stopped. Embarrassment was clearly expressed on his face. Someone was watching him… _

_**Anko, **he thought. Without looking around, he already knew that she was standing behind him. _

"_What do you want?" he asked. _

"…_Nothing," she answered, sounding a bit childish. "What are you doing?" _

"_Isn't it obvious," Kakashi replied. He was getting annoyed. _

"_Jacking off to unknown names?" she quipped. She began to snicker, before she heard him growling. "I'm just kidding around. Geez, don't take it so seriously!" _

_Kakashi turned around. "It's disrespectful to act like that, especially in front of the Memorial."_

_Anko replied angrily, "I'm sorry, okay! Hmph!" She crossed her arms._

_Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Anko seems… different today. Usually, she was very sadistic… but today, may it be a miracle, she is a bit more childish than sadistic. _

_Noticing that Kakashi is staring at her, she asked him irritatingly, "Why are you staring at me?"_

"_Why are you standing there?"_

"…_Hey! I asked first." She stomped her foot. _

_Kakashi began to chuckle. His chuckle soon gave way to uncontrollable laughter. _

_Never had he seen her act that way. Regularly, when she couldn't get what she wants, she would resort to some aggressive behavior, which often leads to someone getting traumatized and/or have a bad case of nosebleeds. _

_Kakashi turned around and faced the memorial. It might be best to ignore her, he thought._

"…_!"_

_Kakashi's visible eye widened. He felt a kunai against his neck. _

"_If you ignore me," Anko began, whispering in his ear. "That will be the last thing you'll ever do… **alive**." She removed her kunai from his neck and took a step backwards. "So, do you mind answering my first question?" _

"_Which is?" The growling sound that Anko made would have frightened even Kyuubi. "…I am seeking forgiveness from my sensei." _

_Anko knelt besides him and looked at him in confusion. "The fourth? Isn't he dead?" She winced after asking. Perhaps she should think before she speaks. …Nah, it would be less fun. _

"_Yes," Kakashi answered, his voice hinted his anger and irritation. _

"_Then, why are you seeking forgiveness? He's dead. It's as simple as that." She stood up momentarily to stretch before sitting back down. "It's not like he is going to rise from the dead to punish you." She suddenly found herself being strangled by Kakashi. _

"_If you ever disrespect my sensei like that again, I'll make your life a living hell." _

_Anko grinned, in spite of the situation. "An aggressive man… Hmm… if you're into that masochistic stuff, I'll be glad to lend you a hand… or two." Kakashi released her from his grasp, his face burning with embarrassment. Anko looked at him for one second before she sighed. "Look… I… apologize. I meant no disrespect to your sensei. But, I couldn't help but comment on what you're doing. I mean… come on! He's dead… and you're not! It's no use praying to your sensei, much less begging for forgiveness. And another thing; just because Naruto is gone, doesn't mean you should blame yourself!" _

_Kakashi eyes widened, before they narrowed into slits. _

"…_Bitch," he muttered. _

"_What was that!" Anko asked irritably, still brandishing a kunai in one hand… and a newly found whip in the other. Her eyebrows twitched repeatedly, as the Copy Ninja made a half-hearted attempt at apologizing to her. _

_-_

"_No… No… No… Please come back!" _

"_It's no use Hinata. Tsunade-sama already made her decision."_

"_Don't say that sensei! I know Naruto-kun! He wouldn't abandon the village. There must be a logical reason why he hasn't come back, yet." _

"…_Are you trying to convince me, or yourself Hinata?"_

"… _B-but…" _

"_Don't look so crest fallen, Hinata. It isn't like the other times. Tsunade-sama stated that even though he is categorized as an S-class missing-nin, he is to be only captured, not killed on sight. And who is to say he is a traitor? He is just missing; and nothing more. He is not a traitor; not a criminal; and defiantly not a bad person." _

"…_Thanks, Kurenai-sensei. Anou… why is Naruto-kun an S-class missing-nin?" _

"…_I'll tell you why another time, okay?"_

"…_Okay"._

_-_

There were no words to describe the small flourishing area hidden among the mountains. It was considered by some an oasis that was blessed by Yevon. Unlike the terrain that is shrouding the area, the latter is thriving with life and is bountiful with fruits. A small crevice divided the area in half, and a trickle of water flowed through it.

Often, small animals were seen scurrying from one area to another, either to drink the water that flowed gracefully near their home or to gather fruits to sate their hunger. Unlike the rest of the world, the animals do not fear fiends. Their home was a sacred place where fiends fear to tread. However, if a human should walk about, they would cower in their home.

The past few days were no exception.

Near the middle of their province, a small boy laid there. He would stir about sometimes, but never awaken. Occasionally, he would mumble incoherent thoughts and memories from his past. None of that was rather relevant to the animals that thrived their.

A week has passed since he magically appeared there, and the animals were getting hungry. Even if they are afraid, they could not allow themselves to die from starvation, let alone their families.

One small rabbit came out of its burrow. It sniffed the air, as though trying to sniff out danger. Finding none, it scurried pass the boy and into some bushes. A second later, it came out with a small branch in its mouth. The small rabbit once again scurried pass the small boy and into its burrow.

-

**Boy, wake up. **

'H-huh?'

**You heard me. **

'W-w-what? Who's talking to me?' The voice sounded awfully familiar.

**Your fucking conscience! **

'That sadistic voice and attitude… I know who you are! Wait… it was on the tip of my tongue.'

**It's me, Kyubi, you KUSOTARE! Now wake up! **

**- **

Naruto woke up in cold sweat. His heartbeat was erratic, as though he was running a marathon.

He looked around, taking in the scenery; confusion was clearly expressed on his face.

'T-this isn't…' Naruto attempted to stand up, but failed. His body felt like it was hit by a bag of boulders. Right away Naruto could tell what's wrong with his body.

'…Shit… How long was I out?' He began to crawl towards the stream that was near him. Naruto swore that he was never faced a more difficult task. As soon as he reached the stream and saw his reflection, Naruto began to reminisce his past. The withered face that was looking back at him had the same features he had when he was starving for a long period of time.

'Holy-shit… how long was…' He never finished the thought, as he succumbed to fatigue and hunger.

_--_

"How is he?"

"He's doing better than we thought. He was just exhausted and hungry."

"…It was by pure luck that we found him. I heard from the physician that if we haven't found him any sooner, he would've died… god forbid."

"Father, don't say that! ...It's not nice. Besides, he's a child!"

"Hmph! You're a child yourself. Isn't it past your _bed time_?"

"**_Father_**… you… you…"

"Hehehe… owwwwwwww."

"Hmph, serves you right!"

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!"

"I volunteered to watch over the kid you found… Though he is no longer in a 'life-threatening situation,' they still need someone to tend to him."

"W-wait a god-damn second! We don't know one thing about him! What will you do if he wakes up and starts…"

"He is a **child**. What's the worst thing he's can to do to me? Besides, if he should wake up and become unruly, I could always knock him out or… give him a good spanking."

"W-w-wha…?"

"See ya!"

_**-**_

_**END**_

-

A/N: Sorry, this was a rather poor attempt at a chapter. To be truthful, this chapter was actually a collection of failed attempts bundled together; hence, the incomprehensible sequence of events. I will make another attempt at this chapter and the one before that.

Till then, 'Parting will be such sweet sorrow.'

_Post-script- Suggestive criticism is welcome, if not needed. _


	3. Chapter 3

That sense of impending calamity was abundant in the air. The Grand Maester Mika felt it; as did the other Maesters of Yevon. Their brows were heavy with fear and worry and were soaked entirely with perspiration.

_Such a tragedy has not taken place for half a millennium, _

Naturally, outside of the sacred temple of Bevelle, the streets were restless with people jeering and screaming with joy.

_'Sin is gone!' _

_'Praise Yevon; he sent a champion to our aid, and He vanquished Sin!' _

"Fools!" Maester Wen Kinoc shouted suddenly. He could no longer hold in his frustration and anger towards those who were ignorant. "He has not saved us; but merely sentenced all of us to death!" Uncharacteristically, he began to stifle a sob. "Sin is never defeated. Even when His armor is pierced by mortal hands, he will merely find a new one." The other Maesters looked at the balding man with sympathetic looks; all except for Maester Seymour Guado, who feigned the look of dread but is truthfully indifferent about the whole situation. "That armor which is made of spiteful spirits is what He seeks; the very same armor that nearly destroyed Spira five centuries ago."

Maester Kelk Ronso interrupted then. "Do not speak of such things. Heresy is what you are uttering; and these proud ears of the Ronso Tribe do not want to hear them."

"'Tis true," Seymour concurred. "We do not speak of _that _calamity no more; it is prohibited." Maester Mika nodded at this statement. One of his ancestors during that time had documented what most would've called _The Holocaust; _and what he had read still shook him to the core. "However; just because we're not speaking of it, doesn't mean we're not thinking about it."

"He's right…" Mika said. "The Hour of Judgment is about to be upon us." He looked around, attempting to make eye contact with everyone in that room. "Let us not sit here and be melancholy. The incubation of Yu Yevon unto his new shell would take a year; and till then, let us pray that another Champion would rise and smite the accursed armor that is Odin."

-

Far off the shores of Besaid Island and further beyond the lands of Dream Zanarkand, a submerged shrine began to glow ominously. A haunting laugh could be heard in those hallowed corridors, as the Curse of Yevon continues.

-

Chapter II

Awakening

-

In the dark cold recess of his mind, a cheerful yet melancholy voice echoed endlessly.

'What's in a name?'

Naruto, shrouded by a bleak emptiness that could only be his own psyche, looked around with eagerness but saw no one. Could it have been his imagination? He was not sure.

He has been here for what seem like days, and even the slightest sound other than his sobbing was bound to get his attention.

He stood up, or what he thought was what he is doing, and pondered. That sounded like…

'…that which we call a rose by any other name would sound as sweet…'

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted suddenly. There was no denying it. That voice was in fact hers.

A transparent image appeared before him then. It was a girl, and a petite one at that. Clad in a large white sweater and black shorts, the girl ran towards him before stopping in front of him. She knelt down on one knee for a moment and then stood straight up; a newly acquired rose was flittering about in both hands.

'…doff thy name, and for that name, which is no part of thee, take all myself!' she finished proudly.

The dark setting shattered into fragments and cascaded downward, as though it was made of glass, and revealed a forest coated in blue ice; not that it mattered.

Naruto stood transfixed on the image of Hinata, who held out the rose to him now with her head bowed. Though several strands of blue hair obscured her face, a deep scarlet could easily be seen.

At that moment, a peculiar feeling deep within him awakened. It was indescribable, yet it made his heart clench in anticipation. Somehow… this feeling… it was… familiar… and… and… _nostalgic_.

It astounded him to the point in which he gasped out, "Hinata!" in a low whisper. He stretched his hand out then, in an attempt to touch the thorn less stem that Hinata held onto tightly.

That was proved to be his undoing.

Just as he touched the stem did Hinata shatter into fragments and fell loosely on the dirt.

As each fragment cascaded down to the earth, Naruto felt his heart withering away, piece by piece. It wasn't until all the fragments were on the ground did Naruto howled in terror.

He fell to his knees and closed his eyes and opened them a minute later, fresh tears clawing their way out.

A bloody carcass of a woman was now sprawled out in front of him. She had long black hair and dark brown eyes; as well as a large bust to boot. Impaled in the center of her chest was a large sword, which was nearly as long and broad as she was.

The reflection that was cast off one side of the blade caught his eye.

Who he saw in the reflection was unknown to him. The only traits that he saw that was remotely similar to his were the reflection's muddled blonde hair and deep sea blue eyes.

Suddenly, as though a spirit possessed his body, Naruto looked down at his hands.

They were soaked in blood.

A scream tore through his throat then.

"Hinata!"

-

Annoyed… no, irritated, Rikku rose from her chair and delivered a swift blow to his head, resulting in a clearly confused child waking up. At first he couldn't see much of anything, but fortunately or unfortunately, his eyes began to focus on a single outline of a female. Tragic; him being on a bed half her height and she standing up, his line of view was naturally centered on her chest.

Her loud accusation of "Pervert!" could be heard throughout the main hull.

She grabbed him by the gruff of the neck and shook him. "Who the hell do you think you are!" It wasn't until she saw the physician standing by the door did she realize what she was doing. Simply put, she got embarrassed, dropped the blue faced boy back unto the bed with a loud thump, and proceeded to put both hands behind her head.

"Sorry!" she said with nonchalance. She glanced back towards Naruto and looked away. "…Though it isn't my fault to begin with!"

"How is it his fault?" the physician asked, while looking at the awakened child. He was strangely quiet; albeit, he was glaring at the girl with a reasonable amount of force.

"Well…" Rikku was caught off guard on this one. Finding her tongue, she began to give a pretty dumb excuse. "Well… he… wouldn't stop…" She paused, realizing how stupid she would sound if she completed the sentence.

"'He wouldn't stop?' what?" he inquired.

She blushed. "…repeating the word 'sunset'…"

Leave it up to a blond to make up an excuse to hurt a blond.

Both males in the room decided to snap their jaws shut and say nothing.

-

"I'm glad she's gone," Naruto said solemnly, watching the blonde girl stride out of the sliding door.

"You and I both," voiced the physician. They both laughed at this comment, before resuming the mandatory checkup.

"Umm… can you tell me where I am?" he questioned. It was not very often that you went from a cliff, to an oasis, and finally to a medical room without your own consent.

The older male looked at him and answered, "Off the coast of Mushroom Rock Road; you're currently onboard The Grand Machina Ship, Excalibur." He went towards the desk next to him and pulled up a file. "According to this, we found you in an oasis near the deserted part of the mountains."

Naruto nodded, but still had some questions lingering in his head. "How far are we from the Fire Country?"

The physician cocked his head in confusion.

"You know, in the Eastern Continent?"

Giving the boy a sympathetic look, the physician responded: "Dear boy, I fear that you must've suffered a head injury."

"What makes you say that?" Naruto asked, a dark feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

A new voice entered the scene just then. "Because boy, there is no goddamn 'Eastern Continent' or 'Fire Country' in Spira." Naruto looked towards the entrance and saw several people standing there; the earlier girl included. His eyes focused on the one who spoke. He was a large bald man wearing a strange jumpsuit. " Cid's the name." He strutted over towards Naruto's bed and offered a hand. The latter person looked reluctant to shake it. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you to, brat." Before he knew what was going on, Naruto found himself being grabbed by the gruff of the neck, again.

"Hey… wait!" the physician began, but immediately shut up after Cid shot him a glare.

"See here brat," Cid began, returning the glare the smaller child was giving off. "You better give me the respect I deserve, or you'll be swimming with only one leg towards the mainland." Tossing Naruto back onto his bed, he continued. "Boy, even though you are the _Champion_ who slain Sin, I can still knock you out; got it?"

Naruto looked as though someone slammed a mallet on his head.

"I did what, exactly?" he asked.

Cid gave him a cross look.

"Don't play dumb with me." Cid looked at the dumbfounded face, before coming to a highly unlikely conclusion. "You're not kidding around, are you?" A bark-like laugh escaped from his throat when Naruto nodded. "Well, I'll be damned. Kid, you're _famous _around here, and you don't even know it!"

"What did I do?" Naruto questioned which led to everyone attempting to not snicker.

"You slew Sin!" Cid shouted. "And you did it without the _Final Aeon!_ Boy, you're a champion among us Al Bhed!" He motioned to everyone in that room. His smirk grew when he continued. "_And, _to those retarded Yevonites, you're the bane to humanity! What delicious irony." A smile of pure ecstasy appeared on his face, before it was wiped away. "Anyways, kid; any enemy to Yevon is a friend to us… mostly."

Thousands of questions began to pop into his mind, and before he could ask them, Cid snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, he felt something crash onto his lap.

"Your sword."

Naruto looked down.

He gasped in horror.

Not because it was the same sword he saw in his dream; but it was because he saw his reflection.

The scars on his cheeks weren't there.

-

END

-


	4. Gaiden I

_Chapter Gaiden I _

The Festival

-

A/N: Short meaningless chapter that has nothing to do with the story. Enjoy!

-

An uplifting feeling of meaningless happiness was in the air. Men were jeering, women gossiping (obviously), and children chasing their peers with hysterical giggling. Even the segregated child, who sat alone in his chair with his mother, had a peculiar cheerfulness about him when he watched his isolating peers frolicking onto a swirl of festival lights.

"It's okay, right?" the mother asked her child, staring deeply into his blue eyes. Somehow, even though his face was twisted into a smile, she could see a senseless feeling of sorrow within her child's eye.

"Of course it is!" the boy said with a smile. For once, he actually was content with his isolation from the other kids. To be here, with his mother on their little table, was enough to make him laugh with joy.

His mother gave him an incredulous look, doubting that her boy would be content with only her company. "Are you sure?" She had a twinkle in her when she continued. "Do you want me to ask your 'girlfriend' to come over and play with you?"

The boy visibly flinched; then, got angry.

"_Mother!"_

"Yes?" Her mother cocked her head in mock confusion. Glaring at his mother, he couldn't hold back a playful smile. Within a moment, both the mother and her child nearly doubled over from laughing. The former was first to recover, albeit, her smile made her the human equivalent to the Cheshire Cat. "Well, whether you want me to or not, here she comes!" She pointed to the back of him.

The boy jerked his head backwards. True enough, a brown haired girl wearing a frilly pink dress was advancing towards him, disbelief and anger growing with every step.

"_You!" _She pointed accusingly at the boy.

"Me?" The boy got off his seat and began stepping backwards, increasing the distance between him and his childhood friend.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked with a look of exasperation on her face. She paused briefly and looked at boy's mother. When the latter nodded the girl resumed with her fierce stomping. _"It's about to start!" _

"What?" the boy asked when he was backed onto a wall.

"Don't 'what' me mister! This is not the time." She grabbed him by the ear and began dragging the blonde haired boy towards a row of seats behind a row of vending tents. "Tonight is very important to me and you're not going to ruin it!"

"What's happening?" the boy asked between grunts of pain. He couldn't believe he was being manhandled by a girl! It would be frightening if the girl should learn martial arts.

"Romeo and Juliet, that's what!"

-

"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

"Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or if thou would not, but be sworn my love, I'll no longer be a Capulet."

Everyone sat transfixed at the brown haired girl's performance. Though the play itself was a bit too fanciful (A love story in a place that don't exist seems a bit too cliché) the girl was spectacular. Even her male counterpart, 'Romeo' was no where near her level of acting.

Her childhood friend especially was shocked at her acting. His agape jaw and blank stare could tell as much. But, when the scene was over, and the kissing finally stopped (thank God!) he couldn't help but to smile at his friend. Seldom would anyone see the isolated child have such a smile on his face. Even his mother, who once again sat next to him, was as shocked as anyone else.

-

"So how did I do?" The girl sat the edge of the stage, her legs dangling down next to his head.

"Alright, I guess." That ominous aloofness was back. His face was stoic and yet a warm smile was on his face.

"Alright?" she asked in mocking disbelief. "Just 'alright?' Not 'exceptionally spectacular?'" She kicked him lightly on his shoulder.

Rubbing his unscathed shoulder, he nodded.

"Well that hurts and you will have to make it up to me." She jumped off the stage and grabbed his hand. "Let's go get some ice-cream; your treat." Just as she was about to drag him to who-knows-where to buy ice-cream, she heard her friends calling out for her.

"_Oiiiiiii!" _

The girl looked behind her and saw three girls standing next to 'Romeo'; all of them have a look of disapproval on their face; their facial expression clearly said 'Why are you with him?' One girl had gone so far as to show her disapproval by mouthing the word 'hypocrite' to her.

She quickly turned to her childhood friend and was about to say 'We'll ignore them' but was beat to the punch.

"It's alright." He removed his hand from hers, and began walking away. _"Sayonara!" _

As he walked away towards his mother, the girl felt a clench in her heart. All at once, she yelled his name out and ran towards him.

- - - - - -

Hinata woke with a start; her face covered with sweat and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Again?" she asked aloud in her desolate room. It has been over five weeks since Naruto disappeared, and every night since then, she has been having these peculiar dreams. All of them had been the same. She assumed the role of a brown haired girl and somehow had many interactions with the blonde haired boy, whose aloofness reminded her of Naruto.

Normally, as she awakens from these dreams, there would be one thing on her mind, and that would be a certain blonde haired boy. But, tonight was different.

Other than her dream counterpart's name, she knew nothing about this dream world of her's; albeit, tonight, she learned something new from said place.

And it left her wondering:

"Who is Cloud Strife?"

-

End

-

(Cue the appalled screams of horror)


	5. Gaiden II Interlude

Chapter Gaiden II

Interlude

-

The pool of water glistened beautifully under the moon's light. Slow and diminutive waves were produced, offset to the ponds large body. Wave after wave, in a endless succession, struck the beach, carrying what's left of hope and love with each drop of blood stained in the sand.

'No…'

The Masamune too glistened under the moon's light. Its blood soaked surface was repugnant.

'_No…' _

Massacred… was an understatement. Tifa, the woman whom lay on the beach, stared toward the sky; the stench of death was no longer hinted in the crisp air.

'_**No…'**_

Cloud was still knelling before the carcass, as he did several minutes ago when he first found it. For the first time, he looked away from horrified face and into the sword that stood in the middle of her chest. A name appeared in his mind; and soon after, a searing pain on his left shoulder made him holler in pain.

"_**SEPHIROTH!" **_

-

The smell of burning flesh seared in his nose. Vomiting seemed prominent, as he gazed at the smoldering village. It was too gruesome for the ex-SOLDIER.

Without warning, a house near him crumpled into the ground. Cloud stood his ground, less than meagerly surprised. His attention was elsewhere.

"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted, slinging his Tsurigi off his belt. His lips were curled in rage. It almost seemed impossible for him to be here in what's left of Midgar, having been killed twice.

Blood-soaked and covered in flames, he looked down at Cloud on the ruins of the 7th Heaven. The masamune he carried had a frightful glow around it, possibly due to it being engulfed in flames and soaked in blood.

"It has been a while, Cloud," Sephiroth whispered. Leaping off the roof, he hovered above Cloud. The black wing on his left shoulder flapped loudly in the air, as did the two wings on both his legs. For a split second, he resembled a black seraph in the midst of destruction- the causer, rather the savior. "It's a pleasure seeing you again."

"You bastard," Cloud shouted. "Why did you destroy this town?" He snarled in rage. "How did you come back!"

"Heh… this place is a nuisance, that's why." Landing on the ground, he held his sword in front of him, wings extended outward and all. "I'll always be alive. I'll always be here." Blue static began to fluctuate around his body. "Mother sustains my body, that's why I live. And Mother is eternal."

Cloud roared as he ran towards his antagonist, bent on killing him for the 3rd time. The swords he held began to loosen from the main blade as he twisted the hilt.

"That won't work!" Sephirtoh shouted. He readied his sword, fully expecting the same finishing blow from their prior battle.

Cloud paid no heed to his remark. He flung the swords at Sephiroth's direction. The blades soon stuck hard cement, as they were blocked with little effort.

Engulfed in a yellow aura, Cloud swung his sword at a remarkable speed.

Sephiroth however, parried the swift blow with little difficulty. By turning sideways, he easily dodged the slash and went on the offense. His blade flashed in a horizontal slice, but was meet half-way by the other sword.

Cloud was quick to defend himself. He maneuvered his body to the right and held the blade in front of him.

"Why did you kill her?" he bellowed. The memory of the bloody carcass he found in the forest still burned in his mind. "She had nothing do with this." By 'she,' he was referring to what's left of Tifa.

Sephiroth scoffed at his sudden inquiry. "There's no point in telling you now." He jumped backwards and hovered above the ground. "Behold," he yelled, raising one hand and pointed to the heavens. "This is the beginning of the end…" A gaping black-hole appeared in the bright sky. With no warning, a pillar of darkness fell from it and stuck the earth. Upon closer inspection, the pillar was made of black creatures that soon began to overrun the city. "If you wish to avenge her," Sephiroth said flying to the hole in the sky, "find and destroy me." He soon disappeared in the hole, no longer visible behind the veal of darkness.

In the distance, Cloud could hear the anguish screams of those who survived onslaught. Without a doubt, those black creatures were wreaking havoc.

Cloud, however, did nothing to help. He sunk to his knees. Anguish was clearly expressed on his face, but that was soon replaced by anger. His contempt for the SOLDIER grew with every passing second.

He felt something changed inside him. Looking up towards the sky, his sight went blurry and everything gradually became less distinctive. Before he fell unconscious, he felt as though he was flying to the sky.

-

-

"_He who soars through the air with a demon's wing would bring calamity._

_He who bestrides the ground with an angel's wing would bring salvation. _

_Both pierced The Armor without Sacrifice._

_Neither could end their vendetta with each other._

_Heaven and Hell, Niwa and Hikari, Seraph, the heaven's preacher, and the Demon, the blasphemer, would forever leave their mark on this feeble planet." _

_Grand Maester ?._

_- _

A foul, pungent smell emitted from the blood-soaked earth.

For miles, dismembered bodies laid writhing, groaning in contempt and agony. Children were screaming, women crying, men sobbing. Losses were abundant, misery plentiful, but not in vain.

In the center of the massacre laid Sin, burning in blue flames and shrouded in pyreflies. Slowly, ever so slowly, it writhed with a screech so terrible that even the bravest of men was forced to shield their ears. Onlookers continued to gaze with slight triumph, but fear is what they felt.

Sin was defeated…

Their blood ran cold as a man stood up from the flaming carcass.

…Not by an Aeon, nor a mass of warriors, but a single Soldier.

Multi-colored haze shrouded the warrior making his image blurry, but an outline of his form was easily seen.

In each of his hands held a single large sword, nearly tantamount to his size.

A clear outline of a wing was seen on his left shoulder, beating slowly against the wind.

In a flash, he flew upward to the never-ending blue sky.

-

END

-

Soon to be rewritten, leave any comments or suggestions about this story that you view as a hindrance or flaw.


	6. Gaiden III: Fate and Love

Gaiden Chapter III

Fate and Love

-

"I… I don't understand." Her tone of voice bordered on sobbing. She couldn't comprehend the reason why he wanted to leave; much less why did he want to leave her. No… she wouldn't let him leave. The past few months had been the best part of her life. She wouldn't let all those times go to waste. Her amber eyes, albeit glistened with tears, glowed with a strong confidence. "You can't leave… I won't let you." She walked towards the door and leaned against it.

"Move Tifa," he said. His voice, completely polar to his companion, was monotonous. Tifa truly did not believe, by evaluating his voice, that he was indifferent about leaving her. Just the same, she stared at him as he gathered his swords and jammed them into one complete blade. "This does not concern you." He stood up from his bed and made his way toward the door. There, he met the gaze of the most stubborn woman he had ever come to known. "Move…" His blue eyes, again polar to his companion, were filled with sadness, completely offset to his imposing appearance.

"…At times like this, I just don't understand you at all, Cloud." She lowered her head causing her black hair to cover her face. Had it not been, the inundation of tear could have been easily seen. "Deign as you may to your stupid aloof nature, there were times when you are the most caring guy I ever meet. You took care of me when I was sick, and I you." She raised her eyes to his, and shouted, "Why, after all the blissful memories, do you want to leave!"

"You remind me too much of her," was his slow retort. Gently grabbing her shoulder, he moved her aside. She was less than reluctant. Her sobbing overcame her persistence to keep him here. "Sorry… When ever I'm with you, I lose track of my purpose." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "I can't let my past die… I can't let him get away. Not now… not ever." He opened the door and stepped into a small puddle. Looking up, without having need to, he noticed it had begun to rain. "Good-bye." He looked back at her and waited for her farewell.

"…Cloud…" Neither making a gesture to make him come back nor a wiping off a tear to show her remorse, she continued with a downcast look. "When I first met you, you were floating half-dead in the ocean. All by my self, I took care of you for weeks on end till you were strong enough to speak; and the first word out of your mouth was my name." She clasped her hand over her face. "Ever since then, I had always thought it was fate. It was fate for you to be there and for me to find you. It was fate for you to say my name, when I never told you it. It was fate for you to be there, to be beside me, in my hour of need." Her sobbing grew into something that bordered on hysterics. "Why do you deny it?"

"Because," he whispered, turning away from her. "Fate has never been kind to me."

A burst of wind, the tearing of fabric; the emersion of the demon wing onto the misty air brought nothing short of silence. Its presence had, at one time, shocked her. But now, it seemed all too natural to be on his back; like feathered wings on a majestic bird.

"I'm sorry…" In a flash of blinding light, he was gone.

Left alone, Tifa's sobbing grew stronger. Why? Today started like any other; her waking him up so he could help her manage the bar, him acting distant yet was bent on getting closer to her, her confronting him on the daily basis of whom does what and when, and him retorting to her snide claims of him loving her with feigned annoyance.

As she could recall, as the dawn grew nigh, his mood earlier changed drastically; he went about the rest of the day with a melancholy yet frustrated mood. To her shame, it wasn't until he confronted Tifa about his leaving that she finally noticed.

"Why didn't I notice sooner?" She questioned herself. In the pit of her stomach, she felt an overwhelming sadness. It wasn't until she questioned herself again why that that she changed moods all together was. She was in love with him. She felt an entirely different feeling than before; love, and lots of it. Somehow, her feelings provided something of transcendental feeling to her entire body.

She smiled, noticing why her body was becoming transparent. Tifa wouldn't let him go that easily.

-

END

-

A/N- This is the last Gaiden Chapter. As you, the reader, can tell, these GCs provide information crucial to the plot, and are not fillers caused by my lack of updates or 'mental blocks' for the plot. Ex. One point of this chapter was to confuse you even more; but the main reason is to foreshadow an event parallel to something that was not mentioned in this entire chapter.


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